Gov. Perry signs anti-bullying bill

Jun 18, 2011

Gov. Rick Perry

Gov. Rick Perry, under fire of late for hosting a Day of Prayer funded by an anti-gay hate group, on Friday quietly signed the anti-bullying bill that became Equality Texas’ top priority in this year’s legislative session.

HB 1942, by Rep. Diane Patrick, R-Arlington, doesn’t include specific protetions for LGBT youth but for the first time requires school districts to adopt anti-bullying policies and adds bullying by electronic means to the state’s definition. The bill also integrates bullying prevention into the state’s health curriculum and allows districts to transfer bullies to another classroom or campus (previously, only victims could be transferred).

Last month, the Human Rights Campaign issued a statement calling on Perry to sign HB 1942. Although there was never any indication that Perry planned to veto the bill, he could have allowed it to take effect without his signature.

Also Friday, Perry signed a suicide prevention bill backed by Equality Texas and authored by State Rep. Garnet Coleman, D-Houston. HB 1386 calls on the state health department to annually provide school districts with a list of suicide prevention programs. The bill allows districts to implement programs from the list and adopt policies on suicide prevention.

Coleman’s bill was originally called Asher’s Law, in honor of the gay 13-year-old from the Houston area who took his own life last year. However, Asher’s name, along with references to LGBT youth, were later removed from the measure.

Perry didn’t mention either bill in a statement released Friday about major legislation the governor signed and vetoed from the Legislature’s regular session.

13 Comments

REV. JOHN
on June 19, 2011 at 8:12 am

I APPLAUD THE GOVERNOR FOR A DAY OF PRAYER. THIS COUNTRY NEEDS PRAYER AND REVIVAL. WITH OUTRAGES LIKE ABORTION AND THE GAY AGENDA-WHICH IS THE TRUE OUTRAGE-WE NEED GODS’ INTERVENTION. AND THE MENTION THAT THE AMERICAN FAMILY COUCIL IS A HTE GROUP IS SIMPLY OURAGEOUS. THE GROUP THAT GAVE THEM THAT TITLE IS A LEFT WING-EXTREMIST-ANTI-FAITH AND ANTI-CHRISTIAN GROUP. THAT HAS NO CREDIBILITY OR INTEGRITY. T\HE SPLC IS A LIBERAL DISGRACE . ANY ONE WHO IS NOT A LIBERAL OR IS NOT PRO-ABORTION OR PRO-GAY IS A PERSON OF HATE. TOTALLY LAUGHABEL AND OURAGEOUS. ND THE LIBERALS WHO ARE AGAINST THE DAY OF PRAYER ARE A JOKE. THEY ARE DEMONICALLY OPPRESSVIE LIBERALS WHO ARE NOT OF GOD. THEY ARE NOTHING MORE THEN PC-LIBERLS.

LIBERALS RE NOT OF GOD. THEY ARE DEMONIALLY OPPRESSIVE SECULARISTS. AND THE SPLC IS A RACIST-ANTI-CHRISTIAN ORGANIZATION. THE SPLC IS A DISGRACE. THEY ARE RACIST-HATEFULL TOWARDS PEOPLE OF GOD-AND ARE INFESTED WITH COMMUNISTS AND SOCIALISTS. THEY ARE THE AMERICAN-TALIBAN. RACIST-PRO-HOMO DISGRACES. THIS BLACK PASTOR OF ABUNDANT LIFE COIGIC- OFFICIALLY STATES THAT THE SPLC IS A LIBERAL DISGRACE AND IS THE TURE RACIST HATE GROUP. AND THEY HAVE NO INTERGRITY.NOR CREDIBILITY. ACLU SLIME.

AS THE NUMBER ONE BLACK PASTOR IN THE FT. WORTH-TEXAS AND ARLINTON TEXAS AREA.- WOULD HAVE TO AGREE WITH BISHOP THOMAS. THE SPLC AND THE GAY AGENDA ARE THE MOST INTOLERANT-NON-DIVERSE GROUP OF ANTI-CHRISTIAN BIGOTS AND RACISTS ON TEH PLANET. THE SPLC IS A COMMUNIST-ANTI-AMERICAN HATE GROUP, THEY ARE A DISGRCE. AND THEY ARE RACIST. AND THEY EMPLOY RADICAL COMMUNISTS AND THE SPLC HAS NO CREDIBILITY-THEY ARE A COMPLETE JOKE. AND THE SO-CALLED WHITE PANSIE-LIBERALS-ESPECIALLY DISGRACEFULL LIBERAL CLERGY WHO HAVE TURNED THE WORD OF GOD INTO A BURGER KING MENU TO FIT THEIR PERVERTED AGEND IS ISGRACEFULL.THEY ARE DEMONICALLY OPPRESSIVE AND INTOLERANT. I APPALAUD GOVERNOR PERRY FOR HIS PRYER DAY. AND I WILL SUPPORT IT-AND THE LIBERALS WHO HVE APROBLEM WITH IT-BUZZ OFF YOU INTOLERANT MORONS.

The three comments posted above (or below?) are suspiciously similar. Makes you wonder, doesn’t it? but surely right thinking Christians would not stoop, ever, to cheating, be it on their wives, their husbands or their constituents?

There are good conservatives, and their are those who hide in the tent, but in reality are self hating homosexuals themselves. Oh, wait, could it be that describes some in politics, even in the State of Texas? and by promoting anti gay agendas in public, but conceding an inkling of humanity in private, are these politicians perhaps trying to burnish their resume, in hopes of attracting even one independent?

Having worked at the Southern Poverty Law Center as a researcher and writer, I can report that the organization and its leaders are not anti-faith, anti-Christian or extremist. Decisions that are made by management about groups and issues are taken slowly and with much deliberation. Morris Dees is one of the nicest, most pleasant gentlemen that I have ever encountered. He cares about oppressed people and has spent his enormous talent on defending oppressed people for decades. It is common for hatemongers to utilize proganda, such as the posts above, to attempt to discredit the law center’s work.
When I worked at the law center, I recall people of many faiths, but I can’t remember a single atheist. If their were any atheists at the law center, they certainly were not promoting their ideology. If a group, such as the American Family Council, promotes intolerance against a group of people, such as the LGBT community, it should rightfully be categorized as a hate group. Until I went to work at SPLC and was exposed to the propaganda of hate groups, I had no idea people operating under the banner of Christianity could be so villainous.

School Districts must implement a bullying prevention curriculum in their schools to stop kids from harming each other. Keep children alive! Enough is Enough! Take a look around and see what is happening around the world today and it gives you a good idea on how carying for each other has disappeared. Our next generation must do a better job and we have to teach them the art of carying and supporting each other. Schools is the best place to teach this. I applaud Governor Perry but I am concerned with districts that want an easy way out.

THE SPLC IS A ANTI-CHRISTIAN HATE GROUP. AND ANY PERSON WITH A BRAIN CAN SEE THAT. AND THE GREAT SHERMAN ALLEN IS A WELL RESPECTED PREACHER IN THE BLACK COMMUNITY. MR. WEBB YOUR A CLUELSS LIBERAL PASIE FOOL

THE ABOVE LIBERALS ARE RACIST ! AND THE GAY LESBIAN COMMUNITY IS THE MOST INTOLERANT-NON-DIVERSE GROUP OF ANTI-CHRISTIAN BIGOTS ON THE PLANET. THEY ARE DEMONICALLY OPPRESSIVE ANDRACIST AND PERVERTED. THE SPLC IS A HAT GROUP AND AT THE COGIC CONVOCATION IN NOVEMBER WE WILL OFFICIALLY MAKE THAT STATEMENT. COGIC IS THE LARGEST BLACK CHURCH IN AMERICA AND WE WILL NOT BE INTIMIDATED BY SECULAR SOCIALIST LIBERLA SLIME LIKE THE ABOVE. AND THEY ARE RACIST. AND WE WILL NOT BE SILENCED BY PERVERT HOMOS OR LESBOES. AND THE SPLC IS A LEFT WING RACIST-PRO-PERVERT SLIME ORGANIZATION, SUCHAS THE ACLU. BUT THE ADVOCATES FOR FAITH AND FREEDOM AND AND THE ALLIANCE DEFENSE FUND ARE BEATING THIS LIBERAL TRASH IN THE COURTS EVERYDAY. WE MUST CONTUNIEU TO REPSOND TO HATE FROM HMO PERVERT SLIME AND THERE ALLIES. SECULAR SOCIALISTS LIKE THE SPLC OR THE ACLU / ALL GODELSS TRASH.